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TOOELE — The father of a Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy who was considered a person of interest in her death has now been charged with murder.
Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, of Tooele, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; stalking and unlawful possession of a bank card, third-degree felonies; and two counts of unlawful use of a bank card and unlawful possession of someone else's identification, class A misdemeanors.
Martinez-Ayala is accused of killing Marbella Martinez, 25, his daughter — a Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy — whose body was found the morning of Aug. 1 in the house they shared, 1224 E. 970 North in Tooele. An autopsy determined she died by strangulation.
But investigators believe Martinez-Ayala has since fled the country.
Martinez-Ayala sent a text to his brother just after 4:30 p.m. on July 31, stating: "My brother, you know (how) much I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I'm too scared and I don't know what to do. I think I will never come back," according to charging documents.
Based on Martinez-Ayala's phone records, investigators believe he went to the Salt Lake City International Airport after the killing and disposed of his daughter's cellphone on the way to the airport. It was found along the side of I-80.
"He then flew to San Francisco … then to Houston," the charges state. "There are no cell records after the defendant left Houston, but (he) used his twin brother's identification when he landed in another country and is seen on surveillance video. (Martinez-Ayala's) whereabouts are unknown, but his last known location was outside of the United States."
Martinez-Ayala "was becoming increasingly obsessed and controlling" with his daughter, investigators determined after reviewing his text messages, which court records say were "more of the nature of a jealous lover than a father."
Police say Martinez-Ayala's troubling behavior escalated this year. In February, Marbella Martinez found a bag of her underwear in her father's room. In mid-July, he "purchased a tracking device and hidden spy cameras" and placed the tracking device on his daughter's car, according to the charges.
On July 29 — two days before the killing — Martinez-Ayala tracked his daughter to Bates Canyon where he found her with "her romantic interest," the charges say. After that confrontation, Martinez did not return home, but rather stayed in a hotel until July 31.
Surveillance video collected by police shows Martinez returned to her father's house about 11 a.m. on July 31. The last video of Martinez was recorded by an indoor camera at 12:23 p.m. as she walked upstairs. At 2:17 pm, Martinez-Ayala pulled up to the home in his truck, the charges state.
"Any video after (his) arrival at 2:17 p.m. July 31 was deleted or never existed because of the disabling of the cameras after his arrival," the charging documents allege.
Marbella Martinez's body was discovered in her bedroom on top of her bed. "Blood was observed in the victim's mouth and there were visible apparent fingernail claw marks on the victim's face and neck," the charges state.
